Various programmed arrangements have been proposed for aircraft arresting systems for equalizing the arresting forces applied during payout. In other words, light restraints are initially applied while the aircraft is still travelling at a high speed and greater restraints are applied as the speed of the aircraft decreases. Examples of such programmed systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,843,288 and 3,142,458. Such systems are not as efficient as desired and are not readily adaptable to a wide range of aircraft weights and landing speeds. An object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a programmed control system which efficiently arrests a wide range of aircraft weights and speeds. Another object is to provide a simple, economical and dependable type of such a system.